''Noi donne'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''We Women'') is an Italian language monthly feminist magazine published in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy. It is one of the most significant feminist publications in the country.

History and profile

''Noi donne'' was illegally published between 1937 and 1939 in Paris by the Italian women exiled there before its official start in 1944. Its publication was possible only after the

liberation of Rome The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

and the first issue appeared in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in July 1944. The founders led by Valentina Palumbo and Adele Cambria were communist women. In the period between 1952 and 1953 the number of the pages was 48. The headquarters of the magazine was moved from Naples to Rome. From 1945 to the 1990s it was the official magazine of the Unione Donne in Italia (UDI; Union of Italian Women). The Union was closely connected to and financed by the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...

(PCI). ''Noi donne'' is circulated monthly, and its website was launched in 2004. It was previously published on a weekly basis. The magazine was funded by government funding which temporarily ended in the late 1993. The magazine sold nearly 300,000 copies in 1952. In the 1970s ''Noi donne'' enjoyed higher levels of circulation.

Content and political stance

''Noi donne'' was not established as a magazine targeting bourgeois Italian women. Instead, its target audience is women on the left. Maria Casalini claimed that the magazine was instrumental in introducing Italian women to the political arena of democratic Italy. However, at the beginning of the 1950s its focus was on entertainment, daily life and culture. Later, the magazine again began to cover articles on politics,

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Definition Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or socio ...

, culture, women's equality,

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

and health. In addition, it frequently attacked mainstream women's magazines in Italy. In 2001 ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' described ''Noi donne'' as a popular semifeminist magazine. In addition, it was less feminist than other magazines such as '' Effe'' and ''Differenze''.

Editors and contributors

The editors of ''Noi donne'' have been women. Maria Antonietta Macciocchi, an Italian politician and writer, served as the editor of the magazine from 1950 to 1956. She replaced Fidia Gambetti in the post. Bia Sarasini was the cultural editor during the 1990s. Among its collaborators have been Lea Melandri,

Ada Gobetti Ada Gobetti (1902 – 1968) was an Italian teacher, journalist and anti-fascist leader. She was born Ada Prospero and later remarried to become Ada Marchesini. Biography With her husband Piero Gobetti she contributed to several antifascist ma ...

Camilla Ravera Camilla Ravera (18 June 1889 – 14 April 1988) was an Italian politician and the first female lifetime senator. She was also among the driving forces behind Italian feminism. Ravera participated in the founding of the Italian Communist Party in ...

, Nadia Gallico Spano,

Anna Maria Ortese Anna Maria Ortese (; June 13, 1914 – March 9, 1998) was an Italian author of novels, short stories, poetry, and travel writing. Born in Rome, she grew up between southern Italy and Tripoli, with her formal education ending at age thirteen ...

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) e ...

, Giovanna Pajetta,

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of th ...

Gianni Rodari Giovanni Francesco "Gianni" Rodari (; 23 October 1920 – 14 April 1980) was an Italian writer and journalist, most famous for his works of children's literature, notably '' Il romanzo di Cipollino''. For his lasting contribution as a children's ...

, Ellekappa, Franca Fossati, Pat Carra, Roberta Tatafiore, Cristina Gentile, Ida Magli, Mariella Gramaglia, Bia Sarasini, Silvia Neonato, Anna Maria Crispino, Nadia Tarantini, Patrizia Carrano, Maria Rosa Cutrufelli, Valentina Savioli,

Adriano Sofri Adriano Sofri (born 1 August 1942) is an Italian intellectual, a journalist and a writer. The former leader of the autonomist movement ''Lotta Continua'' ("Continuous Struggle") in the 1960s, he was arrested in 1988 and sentenced to 22 years of ...

, and

Rosi Braidotti Rosi Braidotti (; born 28 September 1954) is a contemporary philosopher and feminist theoretician. Biography Career Braidotti, who holds Italian and Australian citizenship, was born in Italy and moved to Australia when she was 16, where she ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noi donne 1944 establishments in Italy Communist magazines Feminism in Italy Feminist magazines Italian-language magazines Magazines established in 1944 Magazines published in Paris Magazines published in Rome Mass media in Naples Monthly magazines published in Italy Political magazines published in Italy Weekly magazines published in Italy Women's magazines published in Italy